Airship.



l. ANDERSSON.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.12, i914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIIHHIIIID I. ANDERSSON.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I2. |914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. ANDERSSON.

AmsHlP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12| 1914.

Patented June 29, 1915.-

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. ANDERSSON.

AmsHlP.

APPLCAHON FILED NOV. 12| 19x4- ll44,5?8 Patented June 29, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

fm2 E man? 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

L ANDERSSON.

AIRSHIP.

APPLlcAfloN FILED Nov. l2, 191.4.

Patented June 29, 1915a FFE@ @TATE PTE IVAN ANDERSSON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIRSHIP.

arresta.

Application filed November 12, 1914. Serial N o. 871,814.

To all 'whom it may concern.' l

Be it vlmownthat I, IVAN ANDEnssoN, a subject of :the King ofSwedeu, residing at .N ew York city, in the county of New York and claimed, 'the object of the invention being chiefly lto enable the -aerostat to carry gun and observation platforms; to carry the screw propellers nearer to the center of resistance to reduce the resistance to the aeroe stat by the absence of outside cordage; to

enable the aerostat to be readily deflated as well as enlarged and diminished; to enable the gas and air valves to be attended to while the ship is afloat; and to prevent the `gases escapingthrough said valves from coming into contact with-any element whereby they may be ignited. 5

The invention is 'illustrated in the accom- .panying drawings, Figure 1 representing the airship in elevation, Fig. 2, a front view of the airship, Fig. 3a' rear view, and Fig. 4,-an inverted plan of the rear partof the same. Fig. 5 is a 4cross-section on an enlargedscale taken on-the line -a of Fig. 1, Fig. 6, a vertical longitudinal section of part of the airship, Fig. 7, a cross-sectionV on the line b-b of Fig, 6, and Fig. 8, a horizontal longitudinal section on the line c--c of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a perspective view on a still further enlarged scale showing an internal detail of the aerostat" construction. Figs. 10 and llprepresent detail views of dierent parts of a lframe employed in the laerostat, and Fig. 12; a view showing the preferred arrangement 'of the 'propellers The airship has an aerostat which is composed of several independent non-rigid sections comprising a front section 1, a rear section 2 and any desired number of intermediate sections 3. Between two adjacent4 sections a rigid frame 4 is interposed which serves to carry the propellers and other mechanisms and to su port gun and observation platforms 5. arried longitudinally of the aerostat sections and connected to the outer envelop of the latter are cables 6 and 7 whichare guided on pulleys in the frames, as shown-'more 'clearly'in Figs. 10 and 11, and connected to winding drums 8 so that they can be tightened for holding the sections and the frames in their true relative position. The cables form four about equidistant stretches which, being supported on the frames 4 and controlled by radial networks 9, limit the expansion of the aerostat and determine` its shape.. The envelop is allowed to bulge out from between the cables as shown in Fig. 5, thereby giving the aerostat a lobed cross-section, a shape which, though the capacity is somewhat restricted as compared with the envelop area, has the much more valuable advantage that the stress on the envelop is considerably reduced so that a much thinner material can be employed. Moreover, the propellers, which are supportedby the frames 4: as shown in Fig. 7, can, by being arranged in the. niches fformed by the cables, be brought considerably nearer to the center of resistance.

- Carried longitudinally through the center of the aerostat is a conduit 10 formed of non-rigid material and held in position by the net-works 9 which may be laced through engrailed canvas edgings l1 connected re rspectively to the conduit and to the envelop.

The cars 12, which are arrangedunderneath and connected'to the frames 4, are suspended by means of cables 13 from the conduit 10, the cables being disposed entirely within the aerostat. From this arrangement it follws that outside cordage, which naturally oers great resistance to the air, is entirely dispensed with.

Two air bags 14 are preferably arranged in the same horizontal plane at opposite sides of the conduit l0. These air bags communicate, by means of ipes 15 and 16 (Fig. 5) with an air passage 1 formed in the lower part of the conduit 10. The air passage 17 communicates with a fan 18 which is mounted in the frame 4 and driven from the pro, peller shaft. The fan forces air into the passage 17 and thence either into the air bags or, when maximum pressure prevails in the latter, through safety valves 19 into the upper part of the conduit 10. By an adjustment of the valves 19 the pressure in the bags, and through the latter in the gas bags, can be regulated as desired. the pressure being always maintained constant by the fan or fans. The aerostat sections are divided into compartments, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, each of which is independent of the others and has its own valves and air bags. The pressure in the di'erent compartments can therefore be regulated independently, and a damage to one need not affect the others. As the outside resistance is mainly taken up by the front section 1, this may be maintained at a higher pressure than the other' section and made of corre spondingly stronger material. rI`he speed can thus be increased without adding materially to the weight of the aerostat. Each pipe 16 has a throttle valve 20 which can e operated by means of a cord for cutting off the 'air supply to any particular compartment. The air bags of each compartment are preferably also interconnected by a pipe 21, passing through the lower part of the gas space, so that equal weight will be maintained at bothsides. The gas space of each compartment is in communication with a safety valve 22 which opens into the upper part of the conduit 10. The latter has an outlet 23 at the stern of the aerostat where, therefore, all th'e airand escaping gas will be expelled. By this arrangement explosive gas mixture is entirely prevented from coming into contact withengines or guns or other elements Iwhereby it may be ignited. The conduit 10 is made accessible from the frames 4 so that the valves can be attended to even during a voyage and so that communication can be established between the various cars. The rippingvcords 24 as well as cords for operating the valves 20 and 22,

are also led through the conduit 10 to the cars.`

`The frames 4 are made up of parts which are connected by screw bolts so that they can be readily assembled and disassembled. At

the points 25 and 26, moreover, a pivotal connection is provided about which the frames can fold to enable the aerostat to be deflated. It is to be observed that the lower part of the frames, to which the propellers and the cars are connected, remain in their normal position without being interfered with while the upper larger part of the frame is tripped. The cables 6 and 7 are naturally paid out to enable the frames to fold. In order to facilitate the tripping movement of the frames relative to the aerostat section, the abutting ends of the latter are rounded off as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The envelop is, however, also continued in a straight longitudinal direction to form sleeves 27 which overlap, as shown in Fig. 8, so as to produce an uninterrupted outer surface. The spaces 28 formed between the sleeves 27 and the ends of the aerostat sections are closed and preferably, since they are dips osed just over the cars and under the gun p atforms, inflated with air and for that `urpose set into communication with the 'an 18 thro'u h the passage 17 and through pipes 29 Fig. 8). Other pipes 30 set the spaces 28 into communication with the upper part of the-conduit 10 through whichtherefore excessive air escapes. The air circulation thus set up prevents the accumulation of explosive gas mixture near the machine elements.

The conduit 10 is naturally separable in as many portions Vas the aerostat. Toenable the portions to be easily connected and disconnected when the aerostat is inflated and deflated, the ends of the portions are preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 9'. The portions terminate in rigid frames one of whichhas a rabbet 31 in which fits a tongue 32 formed on the adjacent frame. A spring pressed batteri 33, which guided on studs 34, is itself provided with studs 35 adapted to pass through the rabbet 31 and through apertures 36 made in the tongue 32, thereby locking the conduit portions together. By means of cords 37, guided over suitably arranged pulleys, the battens B3 can be actuated for the instantaneous withdrawal of the studs 35 and separation of the conduit portions, if a deflation of the aerostat should be necessary. It is evident that by this arrangement the aerostat sections can be readily separated, and sections can be removed or added for diminishing orincreasing thesize of the airship as required. A damaged section can easily be replaced. It can also be discarded and thevoyage continued with the remaining sections.

The propellers are preferably mounted as shown in Fig. 12, the bearings 38 being fitted in a Casin' 39 so that they can turn about the propel er shaft for holding the propeller at various angles relative to the airship. The bearing 38 has a worm wheel which, by means of a worm and a chain gearing 40 mounted in the casing 39 and operated from the car, is turned for adjusting the propeller to the desired angle.

I claim:

1. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed between adjacent sections, platforms carried by said frames at the.upper part of the aerostat, propellers carried by said frames, and means for holding the aerostat sections and the frames assembled.

2. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames.. interposed between a jacent sections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, and means :for securing said cables to the frames so as to hold the aerostat sectionsand the frames assembled.`

3. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independentnon-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed betweenl adjacent sections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, said cables being supported in the frames so as to form about equidistant stretches, means for securing the cables detachably to the frames, and internal net-works -connected to said cables so as to limit the expansion of the aerostat and determine its shape.

4. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid4 vertical frames interposed between adjacent sections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, said cables being supported inthe frames so as to form about equidistant stretches, means for securing the cables detachably to the frames, and networks connected to saidy cables so as to limit the expansion of the aerostat and determine its shape, the envelop being allowed to bulgev out from between the cables.

5. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical trames interposed between adjacent sect-ions, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the' latter, said cables being supported in the frames so as to form about equidistant stretches, means for securing the cables detacliably to the frames, net-works connected to said cables so as to limit the expansion of the aerostat and determine its shape, the envelop being allowed to bulge out from between the cables, and propellers carried by said frames in the niches formed by the cables and the bulging envelop.

6. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality oi` independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed between adjacentsections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, means for securing said cables detachably to the frames, a nonrigid conduit carried longitudinally7 through the center of the aerostat, net-works connected to the cables and to said conduit so as to hold the latter in position and limit the expansion of the aerostat, an air passage formed in said conduit, machine driven fans mounted in the frames and connected to said air passage for forcing air into the latter, air bags arrangedl in the aerostat sections and connected to said air passage so as to receive air therefrom, means for allowing superfiuous air to escape into the conduit. means for allowing superfluous gas to escape from the aerostat sections into the conduit, and means for superfluous air and gas at the stern of the aerostat, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. u

7. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed between adjacent sections, of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter,means for securing said cables detachably to the frames, a non-rigid conkthe envelop of the latter,

discharging such cables carried longitudinallyA `said air bags through the conduit, said conduit being adapted to carry all the air and gas valves of the aerostat, means discharging air and gas escaping from said valves through said conduit :it the stern of the aerostat, and cars arranged under the frames, said conduit being accessible through the for the purpose set forth.

8. In an aiiship, an aerostat comprising a plurality ot' independent non-ri id sections, rigid vertical frames interposed etween adjacent sections, cables cai'ried longitudinally ofthe sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, said cables being supported in the frames so as to form about equidistant stretches, means for securing the cables detachably to the frames, net-works connected to said cables so as to limit the expansion of the aerostat and determine its shape, cars arranged under the frames and connected to the latter, and cables inelosed within the aerostat sections for suspending said cars from said net-works.

9. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed between adjacent sections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connect'edto said cables being supported in the trames so as to form about equidistant stretches. winding drums mounted in the frames for tightening up said cables and holding the aerostat assembled, said frames being Joldable in a vertical plane to allow the aerostat to be defiated and collapsed, and cars and propellers connected to said frames below the folding line so as to be unaected by the collapse of the remainder of the aerostat.

10. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed between adjacent seetions, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, said cables being supported in the frames so as to form about equidistant stretches, and winding drums mounted in the frames'for tightening up the cables and holding the aerostat assembled, said frames being foldable in a vertical plane to allow the aerostat to be deiiated and collapsed, the ends of the a ero stat sections being rounded ofl to facilitate the folding movement of the frames.

11. In an airship, anaerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical frames interposed be- .frames from the cars, substantially as and tween adjacent sections, cables carried longitudinally of the sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, said cables being supported in the frames so as to form about euidistant stretches, Winding drums mounte in the frames for tightening up the cables and holding the aerostat assembled, said frames being foldable in a vertical plane to allow the aerostat to be deflated and collapsed, the ends of the aerostat sections being rounded 0E to facilitate the folding movement of the frames, sleeves arranged about the rounded ends of the sections and adjoining the envelop so as to form an uninterrupted surface, a conduit of non-rigid material carried longitudinally through the center of the aerostat, means for infiating the spaces formedby said sleeves with air through the conduit, and means for discharging excessive air from said spaces c through the conduit at the stern of the aero stat.

12. In an airship, an aerostat comprising a plurality of independent non-rigid sections, rigid vertical'frames composed of detachable parts and interposed between adjacent aerostat sections, cables carried longitudinally of the aerostat sections and connected to the envelop of the latter, means for securing said cable detachably to the frames so as to hold .the aerostat assembled, air bags arranged within the aerostat sections, a conduit of non-rigid material carried longitudinally through the aerostat for supplying air to the air bags and for discharging excessive air and gas at the stern of the aerostat, said conduit being composed of the same number of sections as the aerostat, and means for joining and separating said conduit sections. l

Moens J. WEBER, LEON E. RAAF.. 

